^Zeus and Io in Greek Mythologi^
In Greek mythology, Io was a beautiful woman who caught the eye of the passionate (and conspicuously promiscuous) Olympian god Zeus. Io was commonly thought to be a daughter of the river god Inachus and Melia. In addition, she belonged to a royal family and was also a priestess of Hera at Argos. The story how the princess and priestess Io came to be one of Zeus's many mistresses is the stuff of legend, so read on to learn more about this myth.According to Ovid, Zeus was smitten with Io, so the ruler of the gods devised a way to consummate his relationship with the virgin princess. He caused a cloud to form on a sunny day, and used this cloud to conceal his lovemaking. However, Zeus's vigilant wife Hera noticed the strange dark cloud marring the landscape from her home on Olympus, and immediately her suspicions were aroused. She darted down to earth to investigate. Zeus, in the meantime, had transformed his newest beloved into a stunning white heifer in order to protect his mistress from Hera's notorious wrath.
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| Io "princess of Argos" |
Io wandered far from her home, trying to escape from the gadfly. Finally, she reached Egypt, and in this country she was at last restored to her original form. As a beautiful young woman once again, Io gave birth to a son named Epaphus, her child by Zeus. She was worshipped in Egypt, and identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis.
source : http://www.loggia.com/myth/io.html
